System and methods for transforming language into interactive elements

ABSTRACT

A computer operable method is described for transforming phonemes, graphemes, and other language structures into interactive elements. The method may comprise, receiving a word, wherein the word consists of a group of phonemes; forming a group of graphemes, wherein the group of graphemes is constructed using information relating to the group of phonemes; and forming a group of manipulatives, wherein the group of manipulatives is constructed using information relating to the group of phonemes or the group of graphemes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/074,679, filed Nov. 4, 2014; the entire contentof which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for transformingphonemes, graphemes, and other language structures into interactiveelements.

Description of the Related Art

Phonemes may be any of a small set of units, often about 20 to 60 innumber, and different for each language, considered to be the basicdistinctive units of speech sound by which morphemes, words, andsentences are represented. Similarly, graphemes may be a minimal unit ofa writing system, such as a set of orthographic symbols (letters orcombinations of letters) in a given language that serve to distinguishone word from another and, to some degree, correspond or representphonemes in an alphabetic writing system.

According to the United States National Reading Panel, PhonemicAwareness training involves teaching students to focus on and manipulatephonemes in spoken syllables and words. For example, Phonemic Awarenesstraining may involve asking a student to demonstrate the ability tofocus on and manipulate phonemes through phoneme isolation, whichrequires recognizing individual sounds in words (e.g., identify thefirst sound in “paste”); phoneme identity, which requires recognizingthe common sound in different words (e.g., identify the sound that isthe same in “bike”, “boy”, and “bell”); phoneme categorization, whichrequires recognizing the word with the odd sound in a sequence of threeor four words (e.g., identify which word does not belong in “bus”,“bun”, and “rug”); phoneme blending, which requires listening to asequence of separately spoken sounds and combining them to form arecognizable word (e.g., identify the word that is composed of thephonemes /s/ /k/ /u/ /l/); phoneme segmentation, which requires breakinga word into its sounds by counting the sounds (e.g., identify how manyphonemes are there in “ship”); or phoneme deletion, which requiresrecognizing what word remains when a specified phoneme is removed (e.g.,identify the word created if the phoneme /s/ is removed from “smile”).The United States National Reading Panel also found that PhonemicAwareness training that teaches such phoneme manipulation with lettershelped normally developing readers and at-risk readers acquire PhonemicAwareness better than Phonemic Awareness instruction without letters.

The United States National Reading Panel also noted that there isgeneral agreement in the experimental literature that computertechnology can be used to deliver a variety of types of readinginstruction successfully, but that there has been relatively littleresearch in this important area.

SUMMARY

A computer operable method is described for transforming phonemes,graphemes, and other language structures into interactive elements. Themethod may comprise, receiving a word, wherein the word consists of agroup of phonemes; forming a group of graphemes, wherein the group ofgraphemes is constructed using information relating to the group ofphonemes; and forming a group of manipulatives, wherein the group ofmanipulatives is constructed using information relating to the group ofphonemes or the group of graphemes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows an example of a system for phonetic transformation andmanipulation.

FIG. 1B shows an example of a device that may be used to implement thesystems and methods described herein.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a method for determining graphemes andmanipulatives associated with a phoneme.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a method for determining a manipulative basedon a phoneme characteristic.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a method for determining a manipulative basedon an additional information.

FIG. 5 shows an example of how a manipulative may be adjusted based onthe length of a grapheme.

FIG. 6 shows an example of how different manipulatives may be used basedon whether a phoneme is a vowel or consonant.

FIG. 7 shows an example of how different manipulatives may be used basedon whether a phoneme is voiced or unvoiced.

FIG. 8 shows an example of how different manipulatives may be used basedon whether a phoneme is pronounced without duration.

FIG. 9 shows an example of how different manipulatives may be used basedon whether a phoneme has a silent letter or if an affix is presented.

FIG. 10 shows an example of how different manipulatives may be usedbased on whether a phoneme is a diphthong.

FIG. 11 shows an example of how different manipulatives may be usedbased on a visual organization of vowel phonemes.

FIG. 12 shows a specific example of the application of a manipulativedescribed in the context of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 shows an example of how different manipulatives may be usedbased on whether a phoneme is a nasal sound.

FIG. 14 shows an example of how different manipulatives may be usedbased on whether a consonant phoneme is located before or after a vowelphoneme.

FIG. 15 shows an example of how different manipulatives may be usedbased on whether a grapheme is a digraph.

FIG. 16 shows an example of how different manipulatives may be usedbased on whether phonemes involve a consonant blend.

FIG. 17 shows an example of how different manipulatives may incorporatevisual images.

FIG. 18 shows an example of a method for selecting a grapheme andmanipulative via a grapheme.

FIG. 19 shows an example of a method for selecting a grapheme andmanipulative via a manipulative.

FIG. 20 shows an example of a method for handling a change request.

FIG. 21 shows an example of selecting a grapheme and manipulative.

FIG. 22 shows an example of selecting a grapheme and manipulativeinvolving a silent letter.

FIG. 23 shows an example of selecting an affix and manipulative.

FIG. 24 shows an example of selecting a grapheme and manipulative wherea silent letter was suppressed by an orthographic rule.

FIG. 25 shows an example of a change request to add a phoneme, grapheme,or manipulative.

FIG. 26 shows an example of a change request to substitute a phoneme,grapheme, or manipulative.

FIG. 27 shows an example of a change request to relocate a phoneme,grapheme, or manipulative.

FIG. 28 shows an example of a change request to relocate two phonemes,graphemes, or manipulatives and the resulting change of a grapheme.

FIG. 29 shows an example of a change request to substitute a phoneme,grapheme, or manipulative and the resulting change of a grapheme.

FIG. 30 shows an example of a change request to substitute a phoneme,grapheme, or manipulative where an affix is present.

FIG. 31 shows an example of a change request to add an affix.

FIG. 32 shows an example of a change request to change an affix.

FIG. 33 shows an example of a change request to remove an affix.

FIG. 34 shows an example of a change request to add an affix where themanipulative is represented by letters and a hyphen.

FIG. 35 shows an example of a change request to change an affix wherethe manipulative is represented by letters and a hyphen.

FIG. 36 shows an example of a change request to remove an affix wherethe manipulative is represented by letters and a hyphen.

FIG. 37 shows an example of where a grapheme changes over time.

FIG. 38 shows an example of an informational button.

FIG. 39 shows an example of an informational display.

FIG. 40 shows an example of a word located within a visual image.

FIG. 41 shows an example of a change request to substitute a syllable.

FIG. 42 shows an example of a change request to relocate a syllable.

FIG. 43 shows an example of a change request to relocate a phoneme,grapheme, or manipulative that results in new syllables.

FIG. 44 shows an example of a change request to relocate a hyphen thatresults in new syllables.

FIG. 45 shows an example of a change request to relocate an accent fromone syllable to another.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

References herein to specific phonemes may be provided in Arpabetencoding (See, e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arpabet) and indicatedby using brackets on each side of a phoneme (e.g., [S]). Arpabetpronunciation clues may be given alongside in italics (e.g., [AA R](i.e., large [L AA R JH])). References herein to specific graphemes maybe indicated by using double quotes on each side of a grapheme (e.g.,“s”). Words or syllables composed of graphemes may also be indicatedherein by using double quotes on each side of the word or syllable(e.g., “cat”). Affixes may be indicated with a hyphen, with suffixesfollowing the hyphen (e.g., “-ing”) and prefixes preceding it (e.g.,“pre-”). These specific forms of reference for phonemes, graphemes,affixes, etc. are used herein solely for the exemplary purpose ofdistinguishing between examples of phonemes, graphemes, and affixes andare not a limitation on any form of encoding that may be used by themethods and systems disclosed herein. For example, a phoneme recorddescribed below may contain information relating to an InternationalPhonetic Alphabet encoding or other encodings known in the art.

Methods and systems are disclosed herein for transforming phonemes intographemes and manipulatives. For example, a user may be presented with aword on an interactive computer display, such as a 2D Touch screen, ahaptic display, or a 3D touch screen (e.g., inForm:http://tangible.media.mit.edu/project/inform/). Positioned near the wordmay be manipulatives (e.g., colored shapes to touch and move), whichrepresent the phonemes in the word.

The appearance and behavior of the manipulatives may act as significantdecoding cues. The treatment of graphemes in a word and manipulativesmay be co-interactive. For example, touching a manipulative may causeits state to change and may also cause a corresponding state change inthe related grapheme. The reverse may also be true, e.g., touching agrapheme or grapheme constituent (e.g., a single letter in a graphemecomposed of multiple letters) may cause the grapheme state to change andalso may cause the corresponding manipulative to change state. Analphabetic principle, in which graphemes and phonemes havecorrespondence, may thus be demonstrated and explored interactively.

Other significant information about the phoneme may be indicated by aninterface via the methods and systems described herein. For example,animation, video, audio, image may be invoked by interaction with aphoneme, grapheme, or manipulative. For example, the user may selectfrom audio or video clips that demonstrate the articulation or manner ofproduction of a phoneme. This collection may be either stock clips oruser-submitted. An example animation may be a front-to-back motion of anobject in connection with a diphthong, during the pronunciation of whichthe tongue moves from front of the mouth to the back. Another aspect isthat a learner's own voice recordings, images or videos may beassociated with phonemes.

On a change request to a grapheme or manipulative, a determination maybe made as to validity of the word or words in the solution set (e.g.,the nonsense word “stesk” may have high validity, while the nonsenseword “sphleque” may have low validity). The response to change requestsmay be handled according to user settings or other instructions in thesystem's records. For example, the change request may be refused becausenonsense words are not permitted by the user settings. If a changerequest is permitted, its validity may be indicated visually or not.

In some embodiments, the user settings or other instructions in thesystem's records may specify how to rank solutions, such as preferringreal words to nonsense, preferring high frequency real words to lowfrequency real words, or preferring phonetically irregular words toregular words. Based on the rank determined by the system if the changerequest were to be performed, the system may accept or deny the request,such as by using one or more threshold values. These threshold valuesmay be adjusted by user settings or other instructions in the system'srecords. As changes are selected and displayed, the resulting words maybe recorded and used to adjust such thresholds or providing additionalranking information. For example, the number of times a word has beenshown in a session may be recorded and the higher the number the lowerrank it may be assigned.

Through this approach, the validity of change requests may be governedby a pedagogical order. For example, the user settings may specify oneor more thresholds that only allow the system to accept change requestsresulting in words with short vowels. As a further example, once enoughwords with short vowels have been displayed according to the usersettings, the system may adjust the thresholds to also accept changerequests resulting in words with silent-e vowels.

Phonemes may be dynamically respelled in a word as an incidental resultof a phoneme change elsewhere in the word. For example, given the word“back,” in which the final consonant [K] is spelled “ck”, if the vowelis changed to “ea”, the final consonant [K] may be respelled as “k”according to orthographic conventions to form the word “beak.” Theoption of whether to permit respelling of unchanged phonemes may beconfigurable in the user settings.

Other significant information about a word may be indicated visually viaan interface, such as whether the word is real or nonsense, the word'spart of speech (e.g., noun, verb), or a picture of the object that theword represents if the word has a concrete referent (e.g., ‘book’).

The methods and systems described herein may begin the presentation ofwords with any real or nonsense word in the system, or they may begin byrequesting a randomly selected word that conforms to a specifiedpattern. For example, the user settings may request starting words thatconform to some part of a pattern contained in an input word, (e.g.,only start on words that begin with the onset of “back” (e.g., “bath”,“ban”, . . . ). Or the user settings may request that selections be madefrom a list of common instructional patterns, (e.g., begin with [AY]spelled “ai”: “rain”, “pain”, . . . ).

Affixes may be added to the root word (e.g., prefixes such as “in-”,“dis-”, “pre-” or common suffixes such as “-ing”, “-ful”, “-ness”).These affixes may be represented with manipulatives and may be subjectto change requests. For example, if a change request is made for anaffix, the root word might be respelled according to orthographicconventions of prefix or suffix addition (e.g., “hopeful” versus“hoping”).

A user may move freely through valid change requests, such as goingforward and backward (e.g., by requesting changes or undoing thechanges) or reverting back to an initial word. The user settings mayalso request starting words of a given type, in this way a patternedlist of words may be obtained.

The user settings or other records in the system may allow for differentlevels of control over the display of graphemes or manipulatives, suchthat any permissible grapheme or manipulative may be displayed orhidden. For example, a word may be initially displayed using graphemesand manipulatives. Certain manipulatives may then be gradually removed,thereby prompting the user to decode the word by using only the cuesinherent in the graphemes.

Presented words may be a single syllable or have more than one syllable,such as through the addition of common affixes or by the chainingtogether of multiple syllables. For example, real and nonsense singlesyllable words may take any form, or type, that is phonotactically valid(e.g., Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC), CVCC, CCVC). In a multi-syllableword the syllables themselves may become subject to the change requests.Individual syllables may optionally be indicated visually (e.g., byspace, shading, hyphens) or accents indicated (e.g., using diacritics,or bold typeface). In multi-syllable nonsense words, the indicators ofaccented syllables may be moved from syllable to syllable arbitrarily.For example, the word “sprothang” may be shown as having the accent onthe initial syllable, e.g., “SPRO-thang”, or on the final syllable,e.g., “spro-THANG”. Another aspect of multi-syllable word interactivity,is that a multi-syllable nonsense word may be syllabicated in multipleways. For example, the word “jostap” may be syllabicated “jo-stap” or“jos-tap”.

The typeface in which the graphemes are presented may also be variedusing the system and methods described herein. For example, graphemesmay be presented using a typeface of a highly readable type (in which,for example, grapheme distinctions are accentuated visually). The sizeand case of the type in which the word is displayed also may varydepending on the user settings.

FIG. 1A shows an example of a System 100 for phonetic transformation andmanipulation. System 100 may consist of a Database 102, Symbolic Parser104, a User Interface 106 and a Network Interface 108.

FIG. 1B shows an embodiment of a computing Device 150, which may be usedto implement System 100. As shown, Device 150 is a tablet-basedcomputing device, such as an iPad. Other devices or systems of devicesmay be used to implement System 100, such as a personal computer, cloudcomputing facilities, or any other computing device or system withprocessing, storage, and communication abilities.

Database 102 may contain phoneme records, grapheme records, syllablerecords, orthographic records, manipulative records, dictionary records,user settings, and any other information used by the systems and methodsdescribed herein.

A phoneme record may include any information regarding a phoneme, suchas grapheme, manipulative, syllable, orthographic, or dictionary recordsassociated with the phoneme and instructions relating to the use of suchassociated records. The phoneme record may also contain examples of thephoneme, such as example words of the phoneme or audio/visual recordingsdescribing the phoneme. In addition, the phoneme record may also containfurther information regarding the phoneme, such as whether the phonemerepresents a consonant or vowel, whether it is voiced or unvoiced, itsduration, its manner of articulation, etc. The phoneme record maycontain any further information known in the art to characterizephonemes. The phoneme record may also contain information regardingother phoneme records related to the phoneme record, such as allophones.

A grapheme record may contain any written or visual representations of agrapheme, such as alphabetic letters, typographic ligatures, Asiancharacters, numerical digits, punctuation marks, sign language gestures,braille characters, or other individual symbols of any of the world'swriting systems or other non-verbal communication systems. For example,the grapheme record may contain any phonetic alphabet, such as theInternational Phonetic Alphabet. The grapheme record may also includinginformation regarding any phoneme, manipulative, syllable, orthographic,or dictionary records associated with the grapheme and instructionsrelating to the use of such associated records. They grapheme record maycontain any further information known in the art to characterizegraphemes. The grapheme record may also contain information regardingother grapheme records related to the grapheme record, such asallographs.

A syllable record may contain information relating to anyrepresentations of a syllable. For example, a syllable record maycontain a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds, such asa syllable nucleus (e.g., a vowel) with optional initial and finalmargins (e.g., consonants). The syllable record may also includeinformation regarding any phoneme, grapheme, manipulative, orthographic,or dictionary records associated with the syllable and instructionsrelating to the use of such associated records. They syllable record maycontain any further information known in the art to characterizesyllables. The syllable record may also contain information regardingother syllable records related to the syllable record. A syllable recordmay also be used for any type of affix, even if the affix is not asyllable.

An orthographic record may contain any orthographic rule relating to themethodology of writing a language, such as rules of spelling,hyphenation, capitalization, word breaks, emphasis, and punctuation. Anorthographic record may additionally contain information aboutexceptions to its rules. The orthographic record may also include anyphoneme, grapheme, manipulative, syllable, or dictionary recordsassociated with the orthographic rule and instructions relating to theuse of such associated records. The orthographic record may also containinformation regarding other orthographic records related to theorthographic record.

A manipulative record may contain any information relating toinstructions for forming a visual or tactile representation, referred toas a manipulative herein, that allows for distinguishing betweenphonemes and graphemes. For example, a manipulative record may containinstructions for displaying squares, circles, rectangles and othergeometric objects. The manipulative record may further containinformation about modifications that can be made to a manipulative, suchas color, dimensionality, size, visual elements to be added or removed,etc. The manipulative record may also include information regarding anyphoneme, grapheme, syllable, orthographic, or dictionary recordsassociated with the manipulative and instructions relating to the use ofsuch associated records. The manipulative record may also containinformation regarding other manipulative records related to themanipulative record.

A dictionary record may contain any word in one or more specificlanguages. The dictionary record may also include definitions,etymologies, translations, inflected forms, derived forms, and otherinformation such as the equivalent word in another language. Thedictionary record may also include information regarding any phoneme,grapheme, manipulative, syllable, or orthographic records associatedwith the word and instructions relating to the use of such associatedrecords. The dictionary record may also contain information regardingother dictionary records related to the dictionary record.

User Interface 106 may be composed of any type of display, such as acomputer monitor or tablet screen. User Interface 106 may also consistof an interface device, such as keyboard, mouse, touchscreen. UserInterface 106 may also consist of a server, which sends or receivesinstructions to a remote client regarding displaying information orreceiving feedback from a user interface device.

Network Interface 108 may be composed of a communication system (e.g.,Wifi, LTE) for allowing information or instructions to be exchangedbetween a user and the methods and systems described herein. Inaddition, network connection 108 may be used for sending or receivinginformation via Internet services (e.g., obtaining dictionaryinformation, posting user results on social media).

FIG. 2 shows a method 200 for associating a manipulative or graphemewith a phoneme. At step 210, a phoneme record may be retrieved bySymbolic Parser 104, such as by the selection of a phoneme by a user viaUser Interface 106. At step 220, a grapheme associated with the phonemerecord may be determined. For example, based on information contained ina phoneme record, Symbolic Parser 104 may review any record, such as agrapheme record, to obtain one or more graphemes. If a grapheme recordindicates a default grapheme, Symbolic Parser 104 may select thatgrapheme in preference to other available graphemes. Alternatively, ifSymbolic Parser 104 has received an instruction to use a differentpreference in selecting graphemes (e.g., from user settings), SymbolicParser 104 may select a grapheme in accordance with that preference,even if such preference is contrary to a default grapheme. If a phonemeresides within an arrangement of two or more phonemes, such as a word,Symbolic Parser 104 may also review a syllable record, an orthographicrecord, or a dictionary record to determine which grapheme in a graphemerecord is appropriate. At step 230, the grapheme determined by SymbolicParser 104 to be associated with the phoneme may be displayed, such asvia User Interface 106. At step 240, a manipulative associated with aphoneme may be determined. For example, based on information containedin a phoneme record, Symbolic Parser 104 may review any record, such asa manipulative record, to obtain one or more manipulatives. If amanipulative record indicates a default manipulative, Symbolic Parser104 may select that manipulative in preference to other availablemanipulative. Alternatively, if Symbolic Parser 104 has received aninstruction to use a different preference in selecting manipulatives,Symbolic Parser 104 may select a manipulative in accordance with thatpreference, even if such preference is contrary to a defaultmanipulative. If a phoneme resides within an arrangement of two or morephonemes, such as a word, Symbolic Parser 104 may also review a syllablerecord, an orthographic record or a dictionary record to determine whichmanipulative in a manipulative record is appropriate. At step 250, themanipulative determined by Symbolic Parser 104 to be associated with thephoneme may be displayed, such as via User Interface 106.

FIG. 3 shows a method 300 for determining a manipulative. At step 310, aphoneme may be evaluated to determine a characteristic of the phoneme.For example, Symbolic Parser 104 may review a phoneme record associatedwith a phoneme to determine if it is a vowel or a consonant. As anotherexample, Symbolic Parser 104 may review a phoneme record associated witha phoneme to determine for other characteristics, such as if the phonemeis voiced or unvoiced, the length of time the phoneme may be pronounced,or the aspiration, glottalization, or velarization of the phoneme. Atstep 320, a manipulative may be selected or modified based on thephoneme type. For example, Symbolic Parser 104 may review one or moremanipulative records to determine which manipulative is associated witha phoneme using that characteristic. In some embodiments, SymbolicParser 104 may rely upon information in the phoneme record to select theappropriate manipulative record. For example, Symbolic Parser 104 maydetermine based on the methods described herein that a circular objectmay be used to represent a vowel, while a triangular object may be usedto represent a consonant. In addition, Symbolic Parser 104 may useinformation in a manipulative record to modify a manipulative based on aphoneme characteristic. For example, Symbolic Parser 104 may beinstructed by a manipulative record to extend the length of amanipulative to correspond to the length of a grapheme associated with aphoneme having a certain characteristic.

FIG. 4 shows a method 400 for associating a manipulative or graphemewith a phoneme based on additional information. At step 410, a review ismade for additional information regarding phonemes. For example, aphoneme may be grouped with other phonemes to form a syllable or word.In such situations, Symbolic Parser 104 may use syllable records,orthographic records, or dictionary records (as well as other records)to obtain additional information regarding phonemes, such as the typeand location of a phoneme relative to the type and location of anotherphoneme, whether a phoneme can be represented by a manipulativecontaining a visual cue, whether one or more phonemes should use aunigraph, digraph, or trigraph, whether phonemes form a consonant blend,or any other information relating to interactions between phonemes ortheir associated graphemes. At Step 420, based on the additionalinformation, a manipulative may be selected or modified. For example,based on information contained in a syllable record, Symbolic Parser 104may review a syllable record to obtain whether each phoneme in thesyllable record is a vowel or consonant and if it is a consonant whetherit is to the right or left of the vowel in a syllable. In addition, thesyllable record may instruct Symbolic Parser 104 to vertically orhorizontally flip a manipulative if phoneme is a consonant to the leftof a vowel within the syllable.

As an example of methods and system described herein, as shown in FIG.5, a phoneme [S] may be selected. In response to the selection ofphoneme [S], the grapheme “s” may be chosen by Symbolic Parser 104 forassociation with the phoneme [S]. Though not shown in FIG. 5, as anexample, the grapheme “c” may have been chosen for association with thephoneme [S], depending on instructions in any records described hereinor user settings. A triangular manipulative may be chosen by SymbolicParser 104 for association with the phoneme [S]. For example, SymbolicParser 104 may use the triangular manipulative because a recorddescribed herein indicated that phoneme [S] is a consonant and such atriangular manipulative should be selected. A similar process may occurwith respect to the phoneme [SH], as shown in FIG. 5, to select thegrapheme “sh” and a similar triangular manipulative. As shown in FIG. 5,Symbolic Parser 104 may use an elongated triangular manipulative becausea record described herein indicated that the grapheme “sh” has a longerlength.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 6, a phoneme [K] may be selected. In response to the selection ofphoneme [K], the grapheme “k” may be chosen by Symbolic Parser 104 forassociation with the phoneme [K]. In addition, a triangular manipulativemay be chosen by Symbolic Parser 104 for association with the phoneme[K]. For example, Symbolic Parser 104 may use the triangularmanipulative because a record described herein indicated that phoneme[K] is a consonant and as such a triangular manipulative should beselected. A similar process may occur with respect to the phoneme [IY](i.e., bee [B IY]), as shown in FIG. 6, to select the grapheme “ee”. Inaddition, a circular manipulative may be chosen by Symbolic Parser 104for association with the phoneme [IY]. For example, Symbolic Parser 104may use the circular manipulative because a record described hereinindicated that phoneme [IY] is a vowel and as such a circularmanipulative should be selected.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 7, a phoneme [F] may be selected. In response to the selection ofphoneme [F], the grapheme “f” and a triangular manipulative may bechosen by Symbolic Parser 104 for association with the phoneme [F]. Asimilar process may occur with respect to the phoneme [V], as shown inFIG. 7, to select the grapheme “v”. In addition, because phoneme [V] isa voiced labio-dental fricative, Symbolic Parser 104 may select amanipulative as shown in FIG. 7 (i.e., with a squiggle line runningalong one side of the triangular manipulative). For example, SymbolicParser 104 may by instructed by the phoneme record for [V] to use thatmanipulative or a manipulative record may contain instructions to modifythe manipulative when a phoneme record indicates that a phoneme isvoiced.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 8, the word “jump” may displayed, which consists of four phonemes.The palatal affricate [JH] (i.e., just [JH AH S T]) and the bilabialstop [P] are articulated quickly (i.e., they are consonant sounds thatcannot be pronounced with any extended duration). Given thischaracteristic of phonemes [JH] and [P], Symbolic Parser 104 may selecta manipulative as shown in FIG. 8 (i.e., with a lines radiating out ofone side of the triangular manipulative) for phonemes [JH] and [P]. Forexample, Symbolic Parser 104 may by instructed by phoneme records for[JH] and [P] to use that manipulative or a manipulative record maycontain instructions to modify the manipulative when a phoneme recordindicates that a phoneme cannot be pronounced with any extendedduration.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 9, the word “bike” may displayed, which consists of three phonemes.In the word “bike”, the “e” is silent and associated with the phoneme[AY] (i.e., mile [M AY L]). Accordingly, Symbolic Parser 104 may selecta manipulative as shown in FIG. 9 (i.e., with a larger circle connectedby a line to a smaller circle) to show the connection of the silent “e”with the phoneme [AY]. For example, Symbolic Parser 104 may byinstructed by phoneme records for [AY] to use that manipulative or amanipulative record may contain instructions to modify the manipulativewhen a phoneme record indicates that a silent letter is associated witha phoneme. In some embodiments, Symbolic Parser 104 may be instructed byother records to perform a similar selection or modification of themanipulative.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 10, a word with the phoneme [OY] (i.e., oil [OY L]) may beselected. In response to the selection of phoneme [OY], the grapheme“oi” and a circular manipulative may be chosen by Symbolic Parser 104for association with the phoneme [OY]. In addition, because phoneme [OY]is a diphthong, Symbolic Parser 104 may select a manipulative as shownin FIG. 10 (i.e., a circle with a squiggle inside). For example,Symbolic Parser 104 may be instructed by the phoneme record for [OY] touse that manipulative or a manipulative record may contain instructionsto modify the manipulative when a phoneme record indicates that aphoneme is a diphthong.

FIG. 11 shows examples of manipulatives that may be used for variousphonemes, which follow a standard organization in which vowels areorganized along two spectra: the up/down positioning of the jaw, and thefront/back positioning of the tongue. Such manipulatives allow fordecoding cues that indicate the manner of the production of the vowel.FIG. 12 shows the application of one of those manipulatives for thephoneme [AE] (i.e., at [AE T]) in the word “bat”.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 13, a word with the phoneme [N] may be selected. In response to theselection of phoneme [N], the grapheme “n” and a triangular manipulativemay be chosen by Symbolic Parser 104 for association with the phoneme[N]. In addition, because the phoneme [N] is a pronounced as a nasalsound, Symbolic Parser 104 may select a manipulative as shown in FIG. 13(i.e., a triangle with a rounded edge). For example, Symbolic Parser 104may be instructed by the phoneme record for [N] to use that manipulativeor a manipulative record may contain instructions to modify themanipulative when a phoneme record indicates that a phoneme is a nasal.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 14, a syllable with phonemes [M] may be selected. In response tothe phoneme [M], the grapheme “m” and a triangular manipulative may bechosen by Symbolic Parser 104 for association with the phoneme [M]. Inaddition, because the phoneme [M] is located both to the left and rightof a vowel, Symbolic Parser 104 may flip a manipulative as shown in FIG.14 depending on whether it is to the left or right of the vowel. Forexample, Symbolic Parser 104 may be instructed by the syllable recordfor “mim” to flip a manipulative horizontally for the phoneme “m”located to the left of the phoneme “i”. In addition, the syllable recordmay contain instructions that the manipulatives for consonants becolored with a first color, while the manipulatives for vowels becolored with a second color. The use of specific colors may be specifiedby a syllable record or other records disclosed herein. In someembodiments, the user settings may determine the specific colors to beused. For example, the user settings may indicate a set of colors to usewhen a record instructs that a first, second, third, or additionalcolors be used. In some embodiments, the user settings may contain morethan one of set of colors, which may be used depending on specificcontext or to avoid confusing repetition. For example, the user settingsmay specify to use color set A for a first syllable, color set B for asecond syllable, color set C for a third syllable, and then to repeatsuch usage for any further syllables. In further embodiments, repeatedphonemes may share common colors. For example, for the word “mim”, thefirst “m” and second “m” may use the same color manipulative (e.g.,blue), while the vowel “i” may use a different color manipulative (e.g.,red). Such a color arrangement may be used to illustrate the phonemeidentity aspect of phonemic awareness.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 15, a word “mix” with phonemes [K] and [S] may be selected. A wordrecord for “mix” or other records disclosed herein may containinstructions that phonemes [K] and [S] should be represented by thegrapheme “x”. In addition, because the phonemes [K] and [S] can berepresented by a unigraph, Symbolic Parser 104 may select or modifymanipulative(s) as shown in FIG. 15 (i.e., two manipulatives connectedtogether by two lines forming into an arrow). For example, SymbolicParser 104 may be instructed by the word record or an orthographicrecord to select or modify manipulative(s) associated with phonemescomposing unigraphs in such a manner.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 16, a word “glass” with phonemes [G] and [L] may be selected. Aword record for “glass” or other records disclosed herein may containinstructions that phonemes [G] and [L] are a consonant blend. As aresult of such instructions, Symbolic Parser 104 may select or modifymanipulative(s) as shown in FIG. 16 (i.e., two manipulatives connectedby a curved line). For example, Symbolic Parser 104 may be instructed bythe word record or an orthographic record to select or modifymanipulative(s) associated with phonemes composing consonant blends insuch a manner.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 17, a word “stark” with phoneme [AA R] (i.e., car [KM R]) may beselected. A phoneme record for [AA R] may contain instructions thatphonemes [AA R] may use a manipulative containing a visual cue. As aresult of such instructions, Symbolic Parser 104 may select or modifymanipulative(s) as shown in FIG. 17 (i.e., a manipulative containing avisual image of word that uses the same vowel phoneme).

FIG. 18 shows a method 1800 for selecting a grapheme and a manipulativevia the grapheme. At step 1810, a grapheme may be selected, such as bythe selection of a grapheme by a user via User Interface 106. At step1820, a manipulative associated with the grapheme may be determined. Forexample, Symbolic Parser 104 upon being notified of the selection of agrapheme, may identify the associated manipulative to User Interface106. At step 1830, the selection of the grapheme and associatedmanipulative may be displayed, such as via User Interface 106.

FIG. 19 shows a method 1900 for selecting a grapheme and a manipulativevia the manipulative. At step 1910, a manipulative may be selected, suchas by the selection of a manipulative by a user via User Interface 106.At step 1920, a grapheme associated with the manipulative may bedetermined. For example, Symbolic Parser 104 upon being notified of theselection of a manipulative, may identify the associated grapheme toUser Interface 106. At step 1930, the selection of the manipulative andassociated grapheme may be displayed, such as via User Interface 106.

In some embodiments, when a grapheme or manipulative is selected, anyother graphemes or manipulatives within a syllable may also be selected.For example, Symbolic Parser 104 may review a syllable record todetermine other phonemes or graphemes in a syllable based on theselection of a grapheme or manipulative. Symbolic Parser 104 may thenidentify the additional graphemes or manipulatives to User Interface 106and the selection of the graphemes and associated manipulatives may bedisplayed, such as via User Interface 106.

In some embodiments, a syllable (e.g., an affix) may be associated witha manipulative. Methods 1800 and 1900 may also be used in this contextby substituting such a syllable for the role of the grapheme describedin these methods.

FIG. 20 shows a method 2000 for receiving and implementing a changerequest. At step 2010, a change request may be received. For example,via User Interface 106 a change request may be generated by a userrequesting to add, delete, substitute, modify, relocate, or otherwisechange a grapheme, a manipulative, a syllable (e.g., an affix), etc. TheChange Request may then be received by Symbolic Parser 104 forevaluation. At step 2020, a determination may be made to determine ifthe change request is valid. For example, Symbolic Parser 104 maydetermine whether the change request is valid based on phoneme records,grapheme records, manipulative records, syllable records, orthographicrecords, dictionary records, user settings, etc. Validity may also bedetermined based on the phonotactic, orthographic, or instructionalvalidity. At step 2030, if the change request is valid, the changerequested may be implemented. For example, if Symbolic Parser 104determines a Change Request is valid, it may implement the ChangeRequest based on instructions contained in phoneme records, graphemerecords, manipulative records, syllable records, orthographic records,dictionary records, user settings, etc.

As an example of methods and system described herein, as shown in FIG.21, a word “cat” with phoneme [T] may be presented. Via User Interface106, a manipulative associated with phoneme [T] may be selected. As aresult of such a selection, Symbolic Parser 104 may determine thatgrapheme “t” should also be selected and may send that information toUser Interface 106, which may then display the selection of bothgrapheme “t” and the manipulative associated with grapheme “t”.Alternatively, via User Interface 106, a grapheme associated withphoneme [T] may be selected. As a result of such a selection, SymbolicParser 104 may determine that a manipulative associated with grapheme“t” should also be selected and may send that information to UserInterface 106, which may then display the selection of both grapheme “t”and the manipulative associated with grapheme “t”.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 22, a word “cake” with phoneme [AY] (i.e., may [M AY]) may bepresented. Via User Interface 106, a manipulative associated withphoneme [AY] may be selected. As a result of such a selection, SymbolicParser 104 may determine that grapheme “a e” should also be selected andmay send that information to User Interface 106, which may then displaythe selection of both grapheme “a e” and the manipulative associatedwith grapheme “a e”. Alternatively, via User Interface 106, a graphemeassociated with phoneme [AY] may be selected. As a result of such aselection, Symbolic Parser 104 may determine that a manipulativeassociated with grapheme “a e” should also be selected and may send thatinformation to User Interface 106, which may then display the selectionof both grapheme “a e” and the manipulative associated with grapheme “ae”. As shown in this example, a grapheme does not need to consist ofconsecutive letters or symbols, but may be separated by other graphemes,such as when a grapheme record (or any other type of record) indicatesthat part of the grapheme should be located elsewhere in a syllable,word, etc.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 23, a word “hoping” with suffix “-ing” may be presented. Via UserInterface 106, a manipulative associated with suffix “-ing” may beselected. As a result of such a selection, Symbolic Parser 104 maydetermine that the graphemic unit “ing” should also be selected and maysend that information to User Interface 106, which may then display theselection of both the graphemic unit “ing” and the manipulativeassociated with the graphemic unit “ing”. Alternatively, via UserInterface 106, a grapheme associated with suffix “-ing” may be selected.As a result of such a selection, Symbolic Parser 104 may determine thata manipulative associated with the suffix “-ing” should also be selectedand may send that information to User Interface 106, which may thendisplay the selection of both the graphemic unit “ing” and themanipulative associated with the graphemic unit “ing”.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 24, a word “hoping” with suffix “-ing” may be presented. Via UserInterface 106, a manipulative associated with phoneme [OW] (i.e., coat[K OW T]) may be selected. As a result of such a selection, SymbolicParser 104 may determine that visible grapheme “o” should also beselected and may send that information to User Interface 106, which maythen display the selection of both visible grapheme “o” and themanipulative associated with grapheme “o”. In addition, Symbolic Parser104 may determine that suppressed grapheme “e” should also be selectedand may send that information to User Interface 106, which may thendisplay the selection of both suppressed grapheme “e” along with visiblegrapheme “o”. This may occur, as shown in FIG. 24, where part of agrapheme is suppressed or modified by the addition of an affix. In thisexample, the suppressed grapheme “e” has been suppressed by the additionof the suffix “-ing” to the word “hope”. When the manipulative orvisible portion of the grapheme associated with phoneme [OW] isselected, Symbolic Parser 104 or User Interface 106 may determine that asuppressed or modified portion of a grapheme be revealed (e.g., a silent“e”). In some embodiments, Symbolic Parser 104 or User Interface 106 maydetermine that additional graphemes or manipulatives may also berevealed, such as if the addition of an affix removes graphemes from aword (e.g., due to an orthographic convention) that would be otherwisepresent. As shown in the figure, such modified or suppressed portions ofa grapheme (or additional graphemes) may be shown in a smaller fontwhere they would occur (or at an offset) if the affix were not present.In addition, the revealed partial grapheme or additional graphemes maybe rotated for further clarity. Any revelation of suppressed or modifiedmanipulatives may also be treated in a similar fashion. Alternatively,via User Interface 106, a grapheme associated with phoneme (such asvisible grapheme “o” in FIG. 24) can be selected to achieve the same asdescribed in this example.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 25, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to add thegrapheme “c” or its associated phoneme to the word “at”. If SymbolicParser 104 determines that the change request is valid as describedherein then it may perform the change or send instructions to a UserInterface 106 to display the resulting word “cat” along with itsconstituent manipulatives.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 26, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to substitutethe grapheme “t” or its associated phoneme to the grapheme “p” or itsassociated phoneme. If Symbolic Parser 104 determines that the changerequest is valid as described herein then it may perform the change orsend instructions to a User Interface 106 to display the resulting word“cap” along with its constituent manipulatives.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 27, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to relocatethe grapheme “s” or its associated phoneme in the word “cast”. IfSymbolic Parser 104 determines that the change request is valid asdescribed herein then it may perform the change or send instructions toa User Interface 106 to display the resulting word “cats” along with itsconstituent manipulatives.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 28, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to relocatethe grapheme “c” (or its associated phoneme) and grapheme “a” (or itsassociated phoneme) in the word “cast”. If Symbolic Parser 104determines that the change request is valid as described herein then itmay perform the change or send instructions to a User Interface 106 todisplay the resulting word “stack” along with its constituentmanipulatives. This example demonstrates that a change request maycontain a request to change more than one phoneme, grapheme, or itsassociated manipulative or that Symbolic Parser 104 may evaluatevalidity for a change request based on a group of change requests. Inaddition, as shown in FIG. 28, the relocation of grapheme “c” or itsassociated phoneme to form the word “stack” results in a change of thegrapheme to “ck”. This change in the grapheme “c” to grapheme “ck” mayresult from Symbolic Parser 104 reviewing instructions regarding theproper grapheme to use in phoneme, grapheme, orthographic, or otherrecords.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 29, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to change thephoneme [AE] (i.e., cat [K AE T]) in the word “batch” to the phoneme[IY] (i.e., bee [B IY]). If Symbolic Parser 104 determines that thechange request is valid as described herein then it may perform thechange or send instructions to a User Interface 106 to display theresulting word “beach” along with its constituent manipulatives. Thisexample demonstrates that a change request may contain a request tosubstitute a phoneme, grapheme, or manipulative. In addition, as shownin FIG. 29, the change to phoneme [IY] to form the word “beach” resultsin a change of the grapheme “tch” to grapheme “ch”. Also shown is achange in the length of the manipulative associated with phoneme [CH],which is shortened to show its correspondence to a digraph, rather thana trigraph. Such changes in the grapheme and manipulative associatedwith phoneme [CH] may result from Symbolic Parser 104 reviewinginstructions regarding the proper grapheme to use in phoneme, grapheme,orthographic, or other records.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 30, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to change thephoneme [P] in the word “hoping” to the phoneme [N]. If Symbolic Parser104 determines that the change request is valid as described herein thenit may perform the change or send instructions to a User Interface 106to display the resulting word “honing” along with its constituentmanipulatives. This example demonstrates that a change request maycontain a request to make a change even when an affix is present.

If the change request is valid, but the affix is not appropriate, forexample, as determined by Symbolic Parser 104 reviewing instructionsregarding the proper affix to use in phoneme, grapheme, orthographic, orother records, the affix may be changed or deleted as indicated by suchrecords. For example, if Symbolic Parser 104 received a change requestto change the phoneme [P] in the word “hoping” to the phoneme [T],Symbolic Parser 104 may determine that the suffix “-ing” is invalid andremove it and its associated manipulative to form the nonsense word“hote”. In other embodiments, if the change request is valid, but theaffix is not appropriate, for example, as determined by Symbolic Parser104 reviewing instructions regarding the proper affix to use in phoneme,grapheme, orthographic, or other records, a phoneme may be changed ordeleted as indicated by such records. For example, if Symbolic Parser104 received a change request to change the phoneme [P] in the word“hoping” to the phoneme [T], Symbolic Parser 104 may determine that thephoneme [OW] (i.e., coat [K OW T]) should be changed to phoneme [IY](i.e., bee [B IY]) and thus modify it and its associated manipulativeand grapheme to form the word “heating”.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 31, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to add thesuffix “ing” to the word “hop”. If Symbolic Parser 104 determines thatthe change request is valid as described herein then it may perform thechange or send instructions to a User Interface 106 to display theresulting word “hopping” along with its constituent manipulatives. Thisexample demonstrates that a change request may contain a request to add,remove, substitute, or otherwise change an affix. In addition, as shownin FIG. 31, the addition of suffix “ing” to form the word “hopping”results in a change of the grapheme “p” to grapheme “pp”. Also shown isa change in the length of the manipulative associated with phoneme [P],which is lengthened to show its correspondence to a digraph, rather thana unigraph. Such changes in the grapheme and manipulative associatedwith phoneme [P] may result from Symbolic Parser 104 reviewinginstructions regarding the proper grapheme to use in phoneme, grapheme,orthographic, or other records.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 32, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to change thesuffix “-ing” in the word “hoping” to the suffix “-ful”. If SymbolicParser 104 determines that the change request is valid as describedherein then it may perform the change or send instructions to a UserInterface 106 to display the resulting word “hopeful” along with itsconstituent manipulatives. This example demonstrates that a changerequest may contain a request to add, remove, substitute, or otherwisechange an affix. In addition, as shown in FIG. 32, the change of suffixto form the word “hopeful” results in a change of the grapheme “o e” byrevealing the suppressed grapheme “e”. Such changes in the grapheme andmanipulative associated with phoneme [OW] (i.e., coat [K OW T]) mayresult from Symbolic Parser 104 reviewing instructions regarding theproper grapheme to use in phoneme, grapheme, orthographic, or otherrecords.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 33, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to remove thesuffix “-ing” in the word “hoping”. If Symbolic Parser 104 determinesthat the change request is valid as described herein then it may performthe change or send instructions to a User Interface 106 to display theresulting word “hope” along with its constituent manipulatives. Thisexample demonstrates that a change request may contain a request to add,remove, substitute, or otherwise change an affix. In addition, as shownin FIG. 33, the change of suffix to form the word “hoping” to “hope”results in a change of the grapheme “o e” by revealing the suppressedgrapheme “e”. Such changes in the grapheme and manipulative associatedwith phoneme [OW] (i.e., coat [K OW T]) may result from Symbolic Parser104 reviewing instructions regarding the proper grapheme to use inphoneme, grapheme, orthographic, or other records.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 34, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to add aprefix “re” to the word “strict”. If Symbolic Parser 104 determines thatthe change request is valid as described herein then it may perform thechange or send instructions to a User Interface 106 to display theresulting word “restrict” along with its constituent manipulatives. Thisexample demonstrates that a change request may contain a request to add,remove, substitute, or otherwise change an affix using a differentmanipulative. As shown in FIG. 34, the addition of the prefix “re-” toform the word “restrict” results in a manipulative “re-”. While in thepreferred embodiments the manipulative may be represented by abstractshapes, in some embodiments as shown in this example the manipulativemay take the form of common affixes or other informational shapes (e.g.,pictures). The type of manipulative chosen for an affix may result fromSymbolic Parser 104 reviewing instructions regarding the propermanipulative for an affix in phoneme, grapheme, orthographic, or otherrecords.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 35, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to substitutea prefix “re-” in the word “constrict”. If Symbolic Parser 104determines that the change request is valid as described herein then itmay perform the change or send instructions to a User Interface 106 todisplay the resulting word “restrict” along with its constituentmanipulatives.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 36, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to delete aprefix “con-” in the word “constrict”. If Symbolic Parser 104 determinesthat the change request is valid as described herein then it may performthe change or send instructions to a User Interface 106 to display theresulting word “strict” along with its constituent manipulatives.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 37, a User Interface 106 may change the form of a silent letter ina grapheme over time. This may occur based on instructions to UserInterface 106 from a user or due to information contained in usersettings or other records disclosed herein. FIG. 37 shows, in aclockwise fashion, how the silent letter of a grapheme changes fromtransparent to opaque over time. In some embodiments, a silent lettermay cycle presented in this manner may repeatedly transition from atransparent form to an opaque form to aid a user in remembering thespelling and proper pronunciation of a word with silent letters.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 38, a User Interface 106 may be presented with a word with aninformational button (as shown with the “i” in the circle next to“graph”. If the information button is selected, additional informationabout the word, such as information from a dictionary record, mayretrieved via Symbolic Parser 104 and displayed via User Interface 106.An example of such an informational display for the word “graph” isshown in FIG. 39. The informational display may also contain otherinformation other than what is contained in a dictionary record, such asa selectable item to search the Internet for the word or to use aspecific internet service to retrieve information about the word (e.g.,dictionary.com, wiktionary.com).

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 40, a word may presented within or near a visual image, such as avisual image representing the word. The presentation of a visual imagein association with a word may result from Symbolic Parser 104 reviewinga dictionary record (or other records) for an image associated with aword and if permitted, such as by user settings, then providing theimage to User Interface 106 for display to the user. In someembodiments, the user settings may specify that one or more graphemes beomitted when a visual image in association with a word is presented.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 41, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to change thesyllable “lem” in the nonsense word “lempit”. If Symbolic Parser 104determines that the change request is valid as described herein then itmay perform the change or send instructions to a User Interface 106 todisplay the resulting word “cockpit” along with its constituentmanipulatives. This example demonstrates that a change request maycontain a request to change a syllable. In addition, as shown in FIG.41, the syllable change to form the word “cockpit” requires the usage ofthe grapheme “ck” associated with phoneme [K]. Also shown in the exampleis that the orientation of manipulatives for consonants within eachsyllable are based on their location relative to a vowel phoneme in eachsyllable. Such changes in the graphemes and manipulatives relating toeach syllable may result from Symbolic Parser 104 reviewing instructionsregarding the proper grapheme and manipulative to use in phoneme,grapheme, orthographic, or other records.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 42, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to rearrangethe syllables in the nonsense word “lempit”. If Symbolic Parser 104determines that the change request is valid as described herein then itmay perform the change or send instructions to a User Interface 106 todisplay the resulting word “pitlem” along with its constituentmanipulatives. This example demonstrates that a change request maycontain a request to change a syllable, such as changing its locations.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 43, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to switchphonemes residing in different syllables (e.g., the phoneme associatedwith grapheme “ck” with the phoneme associated with grapheme “p”). IfSymbolic Parser 104 determines that the change request is valid asdescribed herein then it may perform the change or send instructions toa User Interface 106 to display the resulting word “copkit” along withits constituent manipulatives. This example demonstrates that a changerequest may contain a request to change phonemes between differentsyllables. In addition, as shown in FIG. 43, the switch of the phonemesto form the word “copkit” requires the usage of the grapheme “k”associated with phoneme [K] rather than grapheme “ck”. Such changes inthe graphemes and manipulatives relating to each syllable may resultfrom Symbolic Parser 104 reviewing instructions regarding the propergrapheme and manipulative to use in phoneme, grapheme, orthographic, orother records.

In some embodiments, a syllable may have an additional manipulativeindependent of any graphemes or manipulatives associated with theconstituent phonemes of the syllable. For example, a hyphen or an accentmark may be a manipulative associated with a syllable record. In suchembodiments, Symbolic Parser 104 may use the same methods as describedherein for graphemes with respect to their association or interactionwith manipulatives to handle syllables that have an additional,independent manipulative. In further embodiments, a syllable with anadditional, independent manipulative may not contain any phonemes. Forexample, a syllable record may have no graphemes or manipulativesassociated with the constituent phonemes of the syllable, but may have amanipulative associated with the syllable in the form of a hyphen. Insome embodiments, a change request can include transferring anadditional, independent manipulative associated with a first syllable toa second syllable.

In some embodiments, a grapheme record may represent elements such as ahyphen or other punctuation marks without having any association withany phoneme.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 44, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to change thelocation of a hyphen in a word, such as “rock-rip”. If Symbolic Parser104 determines that the change request is valid as described herein thenit may perform the change or send instructions to a User Interface 106to display the resulting word “ro-crip” along with its constituentmanipulatives. This example demonstrates that a change request maycontain a request to relocate a hyphen in a word, such as nonsense word,to form different syllables. In addition, as shown in FIG. 44, therelocation of the hyphen to form the word “ro-crip” requires the usageof the grapheme “c” associated with phoneme [K] rather than grapheme“ck”. Such changes in the graphemes and manipulatives relating to eachsyllable may result from Symbolic Parser 104 reviewing instructionsregarding the proper grapheme and manipulative to use in phoneme,grapheme, orthographic, or other records.

As another example of methods and system described herein, as shown inFIG. 45, Symbolic Parser 104 may receive a change request to change adiacritic (e.g., an accent mark). If Symbolic Parser 104 determines thatthe change request is valid as described herein then it may perform thechange or send instructions to a User Interface 106 to switch thediacritic and make any further modifications. This example demonstratesthat a change request may contain a request to relocate an accent markfrom one syllable to another. In addition, as shown in FIG. 45, therelocation of the accent mark requires changing which manipulatives areelevated (which may be done to visually cue where emphasis should occurduring pronunciation). Such changes in the accent mark, graphemes, andmanipulatives relating to each syllable may result from Symbolic Parser104 reviewing instructions regarding the proper grapheme andmanipulative to use in phoneme, grapheme, orthographic, or otherrecords.

In some embodiments, clicking on a manipulative, grapheme, syllable,etc. may result in audio or visual images being played via UserInterface 106. For example, if a grapheme or manipulative associatedwith a phoneme is selected, Symbolic Parser 106 may review a phonemerecord associated with the phoneme for a sound or video recordingrelated to the phoneme and instruct User Interface 106 to play such arecording the user. Symbolic Parser 106 may also perform a similaraction for other selections, such as selection of a syllable, affix,word, etc.

To determine validity of a Change Request, Symbolic Parser 106 mayundertake any method disclosed herein. In addition, it may review anyrecord disclosed herein for instructions indicating whether such aChange Request is valid. Symbolic Parser 106 may also evaluate validityof a Change Request based on other metrics disclosed herein. Forexample, records disclosed herein may include one or more phonotactic,orthographic, or instructional values relating to the phonotactic,orthographic, or instructional validity of information they contain.

In this context, a word record for “sphlet” may have low Englishphonotactic value, as [S F L] is not a valid consonant blend in English.A word record for “psem” may have a higher phonotactic value, but a loworthographic value because in English the digraph “ps” is unlikely torepresent [S] before [EH] (i.e., red [R EH D]). A word record for “sor”may have high phonotactic and orthographic values, but may have a lowerinstructional value because it is a misspelling of the word “soar” or“sore”. A word record for “hook” composed of the phonemes [HH UW K],that is, with the vowel sound [UW] (i.e., shoe [SH UW]), may have highphonotactic and orthographic values, but may have a lower instructionalvalue because it is a mispronunciation of the real English word “hook”composed of the phonemes [HH UH K], that is, with the vowel sound [UH](i.e., book [B UH K]).

In addition, Symbolic Parser 104 may consult sets of rules, thresholdvalues, or instructions contained in the user settings to evaluatevalidity. For example, the user settings may specify that only words orsyllables above a certain phonotactic, orthographic, or instructionalvalue are valid. Thus, if Symbolic Parser 104 receives a change requestthat would result in a word or syllable with a phonotactic,orthographic, or instructional value below what is required by the usersettings, it will reject the change request. In some embodiments, theuser settings may also instruct the Symbolic Parser 104 to adjustinformation relating to any determination of validity within the usersettings or in other records.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module”, “computingdevice” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention maytake the form of a computer program product embodied in one or morecomputer readable medium(s) having computer readable program codeembodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, butnot limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitablecombination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustivelist) of the computer readable storage medium would include thefollowing: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random accessmemory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a portable compact discread-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storagedevice, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context ofthis document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangiblemedium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connectionwith an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention are described above with reference toflowchart illustrations or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart or block diagramblock or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart or blockdiagram block or blocks. In the following description, certain specificdetails of programming, software modules, user selections, networktransactions, database queries, database structures, etc. are omitted toavoid obscuring the invention. Those of ordinary skill in computersciences will comprehend many ways to implement the invention in variousembodiments, the details of which can be determined using knowntechnologies.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Ingeneral, the methodologies of the present invention are advantageouslycarried out using one or more digital processors, for example the typesof microprocessors that are commonly found in servers, personalcomputers, tablets, smartphones and all manner of desktop or portableelectronic appliances.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures or may be omitted.For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executedsubstantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed inthe reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It willalso be noted that each block of the block diagrams or flowchartillustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams orflowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, orcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. Inaddition, any references to steps of a methodology are used herein onlyto facilitate discussion, and carry no particular temporal orchronological significance unless otherwise indicated.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate from the foregoing descriptionthat the broad techniques of the embodiments of the present inventioncan be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while theembodiments of this invention have been described in connection withparticular examples thereof, the true scope of the embodiments of theinvention should not be so limited since other modifications will becomeapparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings anddescriptions provided herein. All references cited herein are expresslyincorporated by reference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer operable method for transformingphonemes, graphemes, and other language structures into interactiveelements, comprising the steps of: receiving a word, wherein the wordconsists of a group of phonemes; forming a group of graphemes, whereinthe group of graphemes is constructed using information relating to thegroup of phonemes; and for each phoneme or grapheme in the group ofphonemes or group of graphemes, determining a graphical manipulative,wherein each graphical manipulative is constructed using informationrelating to the phoneme or grapheme and each graphical manipulativecorresponds to an individual phoneme or grapheme within the group ofphonemes or group of graphemes, to form a group of graphicalmanipulatives; displaying the group of graphemes and the group ofgraphical manipulatives; receiving a selection of a first graphicalmanipulative and expanding the selection to include a first phoneme andfirst grapheme associated with the first graphical manipulative;receiving a change request via the first graphical manipulative, whereinthe change request contains a request to alter the first phoneme orfirst grapheme associated with the first graphical manipulative;evaluating the change request to determine a phonotactic validity value,an orthographic validity value, or an instructional validity value ofthe change request; approving the change request only if the phonotacticvalidity value, the orthographic validity value, or the instructionalvalidity value are allowed by one or more validity thresholds; and ifthe change request is approved, determining any changes in the group ofphonemes, the group of graphemes, or the group of graphicalmanipulatives and updating the display of the group of graphemes and thegroup of graphical manipulatives.
 2. A computer operable methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the selection of the first graphicalmanipulative results in playing of an audio or video file.
 3. A computeroperable method accord to claim 2, wherein the audio or video filedemonstrates an articulation or manner of production of the firstphoneme.
 4. A computer operable method according to claim 1, where ineach graphical manipulative is represented by colored shapes.
 5. Acomputer operable method according to claim 1, comprising the furthersteps of: receiving a selection of an affix for the word; determining anaffix graphical manipulative corresponding to the affix, wherein theaffix graphical manipulative is constructed using information relatingto the affix; and displaying the affix and affix graphical manipulativealong with the group of graphemes and the group of graphicalmanipulatives.
 6. A computer operable method according to claim 5, wherein displaying the group of graphemes and the group of graphicalmanipulatives, an option is provided to display any grapheme suppressedby addition of the affix to the word.
 7. A computer operable methodaccording to claim 1, where in displaying the group of graphemes and thegroup of graphical manipulatives, a portion of the group of graphemesand an associated portion of the group of graphical manipulatives areomitted from display.
 8. A computer operable method according to claim1, wherein the size of each graphical manipulative is based on whether aphoneme associated with the graphical manipulative is a digraph or atrigraph.